Site still undetermined for next week's EPA natural gas hearing

Aug. 6, 2010

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In less than a week, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to be in the area to host the largest public meeting on its $1.9 million study of hydraulic fracturing.

Just where will that meeting take place? That's up in the air.

More than 1,200 people are already registered to attend the Aug. 12 event, but the venue has yet to be determined, according to Binghamton University and the EPA. It was expected to take place in BU's Anderson Center for the Performing Arts — as it was advertised on the EPA's website — but the school and agency are apparently at odds.

"Unfortunately, the university recently informed the agency that it decided to change the meeting location from an air-conditioned hall to a campus gymnasium with no air conditioning," EPA spokeswoman Betsaida Alcantara said in a statement late Thursday.

"EPA is concerned that this change could present serious public safety concerns due to the expected temperatures and the number of citizens expected to take part in the public hearing," she said.

Alcantara and BU spokeswoman Gail Glover both said negotiations continue. Alcantara would not say if the agency is considering venues other than BU.

"At this point, a contract for this event has not been signed nor has a venue been determined," Glover said. "As we do for any function on campus, we are making sure that the needs of that campus and the event will be met."

Alcantara said, however, that the EPA "entered into a payment agreement to enable this important public discussion to take place."

The EPA has advertised the meeting's location as the 1,186-capacity Osterhout Concert Theater in the Anderson Center since it was announced in June. The West Gym, a larger venue on campus, does not have air conditioning — a tough sell in mid-August, especially for an event that is expected to last more than 12 hours.

The BU Events Center is not available because the floor is being resurfaced, according to the EPA.

Without a venue for the meeting, several rallies also remain homeless. A number of environmental groups are staging an all-day rally complete with bands and a long list of speakers — including "Gasland" filmmaker Josh Fox, actor Mark Ruffalo, Congressmen Maurice Hinchey and Michael Arcuri, and Love Canal activist Lois Gibbs — but Glover said placement of the rally will not be determined until a venue for the meeting has been selected.

The natural gas industry is also expected to host a large rally.

"A number of individuals who have high interest in this event have reached out to us," Glover said. "As to where to place various rallies that are supposed to take place; those decisions will be made when the venue has been determined."

The meeting is the last of four scheduled by the EPA. Other meetings took place in Denver, Fort Worth, and Canonsburg, Pa.